Night Owls At Risk Of Brain Drain

Evening people could be at higher risk of age-related cognitive decline, states new study

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A night owl—or an evening person with a late sleep-wake cycle—could be at a higher risk of cognitive decline with age compared to an early bird or a morning person, a study has found. Chronotype refers to one's sleep-wake type or times during the day when one naturally tends to be awake and asleep. A 'night owl' chronotype is said to have a later sleep-wake cycle, compared to an 'early bird' or a 'lark'.

"Are you an early bird or a night owl? It's hard to adjust what your biological clock—your so-called chronotype—is, but you can adjust your life to it as best you can," study author Ana Wenzler, from the University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands, said.

Analyzing the performance of about 23,800 participants on a cognitive test over a period of 10 years, the study found that evening people decline cognitively faster than morning people. The findings have been published in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease.

"Unhealthy behavior such as smoking, drinking and unhealthy eating happens more often in the evening," Wenzler said.